Arthur: Who's The Mystery Kid?
by Magical20
Summary: A new family has moved into Elwood City, and they live next door to the Reads. The child of the family, Lawrence, is a new student at Lakewood Elementary, and he tries to make friends with Arthur and the gang. He even helps solve a mystery for George. But, Lawrence has some scary secrets that he's keeping from the gang. How will he fit in with them?
1. New Family in Town

**Hey, guys. I'm back with a new story. This one is for the famous cartoon known as "Arthur". Now, for those of you who have read my previous story, "The PJ Masks Meet The Powerpuff Girls", you'll see that in chapter three that I've expressed an interest in writing a story for Arthur. I also said in the same chapter that, the current voice actor for Arthur is the new voice for Connor/Catboy in PJ Masks. His name is Jacob Ursomarzo. I looked up the current voice actor for Arthur, and I checked the credits for the season two episodes of PJ Masks. It's been confirmed to me.**

 **Alright, before we get into this new story, I have to respond to a comment:**

 **OwlLegendary000- I've also written my stories in journals, and have decided on what to do with them. So, I'm glad that you and I have something in common. Also; I'm not sure if the poster in Connor's room in PJ Masks is his dad, or a fictional or real superhero. And; thank you for your positive feedback on my stories. Especially, my previous story.**

 **Now; we can get into this.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Arthur. It belongs to PBS.**

Chapter 1- New Family in Town

It was the middle of the day in Elwood city, in the neighborhood where the Read family lived. Arthur Read, the oldest child of the family, was sitting in the den reading a new book that he got.

"New things are always a mystery," said Arthur, who was narrating, "like this new book I'm reading. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I'm really starting to get into it. Also; new food are a really big mystery. Especially, for-"

"ARTHUR!" yelled D.W., Arthurs rude little sister.

With a sigh, he closed his book, and went over to his sister, who was standing by the window.

"D.W., I told you. Granola bars aren't scary, they're just-"

"No. Look outside. There's a new family moving into our neighborhood!"

"What!?"

Arthur looked out the window with his sister, and they saw moving trucks outside. They, then, saw an SUV coming up, and Arthur saw the family inside the car: A family of anthropomorphic black and white cats. There is an older male driving the car, a teenaged female in the passenger's side, and a young boy in the back-seat.

"This is big!" said D.W. "Bigger than big! Bigger than a Mary Moo-Calf special big! MOM! DAD!" She goes off to find their parents.

"New people have always been a really big mystery," said Arthur, narrating again. "You never know what they're like, or what they do. So, it's both exciting, and a little bit scary."

The title card comes up, and it shows a clip of the new boy turning on a flashlight, and crawling under the bleachers in the school soccer field.

"Who's the Mystery Kid?" said Arthur, still narrating.

Meanwhile; the new family pulls up to their new house, and get out of the car. The movers bring the boxes into the house, and the family looks through them. Twenty minutes later; the family is halfway finished, and the doorbell rings. The boy answers the door, and the Read family is standing right in front of him.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," said Jane Read, the mother. "Welcome to the neighborhood. We're the Reads. I'm Mrs. Read, this is Mr. Read, and these are our kids: Arthur, D.W., and Baby Kate."

"Nice to meet you," the boy said, as the rest of his family appeared. "We're the Millstones. My name's Lawrence. This is my dad, and this is my older sister, Eden."

"Hello, new neighbors," Mr. Millstone said. "I'm Erick Millstone. Shall we talk, and let our children talk, too?"

"Sure," said David, the father of the Read family. "We're neighbors now, and our kids should get to know each other."

"I agree. Eden, you get the rest of the stuff," Erick told his daughter. Knowing that she was a teenager, he figured that her getting to know these younger kids probably wasn't right for her at the moment. The Reads seemed to understand why she didn't need to get their kids right now.

"Ok, Dad," said Eden, who went to get some more boxes.

"Lawrence, why don't you go outside with Arthur and D.W., and talk to them?"

"Alright," said Lawrence, who took his potential new friends into the backyard.

"So, Lawrence; where are you from?" asked Arthur.

"We're from Crown City."

"No way! One of my friends went to Crown City."

"Ok. That sounds cool. So, Arthur; what school do you go to?"

"Lakewood Elementary."

"Oh, my Gosh! I start there tomorrow!"

"Wow! We're new neighbors, and we go to the same school."

"Ahem," D.W. interjected. "It's nice to know that you two have some things in common; but can I ask some questions now?"

"Ok," said Lawrence.

"What do you like to do for fun?"

"Well, I don't really do much for fun, but I like to play video games, listen to music, and go exploring."

"Ok. That's cool," said D.W. "So; what does your dad do? Our dad does catering, and our mom works at home. Does your dad work?"

"Yeah. My dad's a private detective."

"Wow!" both Read siblings said in awe.

"So, your dad solves mysteries and stuff?" asked Arthur.

"Yes. My dad was always called upon whenever someone needed his help."

"How good is he?"

"He's really good. By the way; have you ever wanted to be like your parents when you grow up?"

"Kind of," answered D.W.

"At times," said Arthur. "Do you want to be like your dad when you grow up?"

"I do," Lawrence answered. "In fact, I'm following in his footsteps."

"You mean you've solved mysteries before?" asked Arthur.

"Yeah. Though, some of the stuff I've solved isn't the same as the stuff he solves."

"Do you want to solve mysteries that are similar to what your dad solves?"

"Yes, and no. Yes because, I would like to do the kind of work he does. And, no because, there are some things that I'm just not ready for yet."

"Ok. So, what have you learned about being a detective?"

"Well, I learned that one of the most important things about being a detective is being observant. You observe every detail in your environment, you might find a clue. You also have to observe people, too. Observing people, what they wear, how they walk, what they do with their hands, how they act, and a lot of other natural tendencies that they have."

"What can you tell from observing us?" asked D.W., curious to see what kind of detective skills Lawrence has.

"Well… I'll start off individually: Arthur; you're obviously the oldest child. When I saw you guys at the door, I saw that there were three kids. Of course, that makes D.W. the middle child. Now, personality-wise; Arthur, you're very easy-going, and you get along well with others. You're very nice, but you're also not afraid to stand up for yourself, nor are you afraid to speak your mind. D.W., you also get along well with others, but you come across as extremely demanding, and you're used to getting what you want most of the time. As siblings; there's a rivalry between you two. You fight with each other all the time, and sometimes you bully each other. It might have gotten a bit physical between you two, but despite these hardships, you guys love each other no matter what."

Both Arthur and D.W. were speechless by Lawrence's deduction of them.

"You figured that out just from looking at us?!" asked D.W.

"That, and from the minute I spent talking with you."

"That's amazing!" said Arthur.

"Thanks. Now; how about I show you guys around the house?"

"Sure."

Lawrence takes them back into the house.

 **And, that was the first chapter for story for Arthur. When I was writing this on the computer, I started to have doubts because, the show already has two little detectives, Fern and Buster, and I was worried that my OC, Lawrence, would not be well received by fans of the show. But, I've been thinking, and I thought that it would be fair to have Fern and Buster solve cases with Lawrence.**

 **Also; I wanted to make Lawrence kind of like a mix of all these other fictional detectives: Like, Sherlock Holmes, Veronica Mars, etc.**

 **Another thing; for these stories for Arthur, I wanted to kind of make it feel like a bit of a teen drama mixed in with some mystery elements. Shows like Veronica Mars, Pretty Little Liars, and Riverdale have given me some inspiration since those shows are both teen drama/mystery genre shows (even though in my stories, the characters are the same age as they are in the show). I also had to watch some crime dramas for inspiration: Shows like CSI, NCIS, Chicago PD, Elementary, Sherlock, Luther, and The Wire. Plus, I had to read some mystery novels and crime books for inspiration, too.**

 **Now, Lawrence's deduction of Arthur and D.W.s relationship; I had him, somewhat, bring up when Arthur hit D.W. in the episode "Arthur's Big Hit". This may come as a surprise to all of you, but I've never seen the episode, and I have no desire to see it because, I don't like watching certain characters become demonized by other characters who are only looking at things in black and white.**

 **Now, I have a few more things going on in my life; my mom had her final chemo, and her battle with cancer is over. But, something has happened with me; one night, I slipped and fell on an empty laundry basket in my laundry room, and I hurt my left foot. I went to the doctors, I had an x-ray, and they said that there's a small bone chip fracture in my left foot. So, now, I'm wearing a boot (a type of cast that you wear to walk around on, for those of you who don't know). It's been nearly three years since I've worn one of these. I went to an orthopedic, and they said that I should keep wearing the boot so I can walk, and that my foot would heal in a few weeks.**

 **Anyway; let me know what you guys think of this in your reviews, and what you think of what I've come up with for Arthur. Also, I want to know if you think I'm overdoing it with the mystery genre, or not. Thanks, guys. Bye.**


	2. First Day of School

**Hello, everyone. I'm bringing you another chapter for my fanfiction for Arthur. Sorry it took so long.**

 **Now; for those of you who have read my stories know that I have written stories mostly for PJ Masks. I wanted to try something a little different this time, and I hope that a lot of you will end up liking this story.**

 **Before we begin; I'd like to respond to some comments:**

 **OwlLegendary000- I'm glad to see that you're interested in seeing where this goes. You're right about the characters: Arthur's a nice kid. He has his flaws, but he has a good heart. And, D.W. is absolutely horrible. Most times when we see her on screen is when she's being an obnoxious, spoiled brat, usually by trying to make poor Arthur's life a living Hell. But, she isn't as evil as Romeo. D.W., at times, has shown that she has a heart, while Romeo is still the PJ Masks version of Joffrey Baratheon (Yes. I'm a fan of Game of Thrones.). I'm glad that you understand what I'm going through with wearing this boot. It's been nearly three years since I've worn a boot. That time was when I found out that I had arthritis.**

 **MaeManuel1- If you're reading this story, I do plan on doing a Moments After Missions for season 2 of PJ Masks. It might take me a while though.**

 **DivineLegend- I see your point about actors, and about them no longer having a job after being replaced. But, that wasn't what I meant to say. I was talking about voice actors in preschooler shows, and how some of them are young teenaged males voicing characters that are younger than they are, and how they have to get replaced because, they're voices are getting deeper, which isn't their fault. But, I never meant to hurt any actors' feelings, and I'm really sorry if I did, if any actors that are reading this. DivineLegend, I hope that you and I can come to an understanding.**

 **Now; on with the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer- Arthur belongs to PBS. Not me.**

Chapter 2- First Day of School

The next day; the Millstone SUV pulls up to Lakewood Elementary, and Lawrence gets out from the back.

"Remember, Lawrence; do good in class, make some friends, and try your best to stay out of trouble," said Erick.

"I'll do my best, Dad," Lawrence replied.

"Ok, then. Good luck on your first day."

"Thanks, Dad. Bye."

He closes the door, and walks up the stairs as the car drives away. He walks in, and looks around seeing kids everywhere talking to each other. He felt butterflies in his stomach until he saw Arthur at his locker, and went over to him.

"Excuse me!" he yelled. "Arthur, Right?"

"Yeah. Hey, Lawrence," said Arthur. "What's up?"

"You know this is my first day here, and I don't know this place so well. So, can you take me to the principal's office?"

"Sure, I can."

Arthur walks Lawrence to the principal's office, and Arthur knocks on the door. Ms. Tingley answers the door, and sees the two boys standing in front of her.

"Oh. Hello, Arthur," she said. "And, you must be Lawrence Millstone, our new transfer student."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Lawrence.

"Do you know where Lawrence's classroom is, Ms. Tingley?" asked Arthur.

"Why, yes I do." She pulls out a piece of paper, and gives it to Lawrence. Both boys read it, and Arthur's face lights up.

"Hey. That's the same classroom as mine!"

"Wow. We live next door to each other, and we're in the same class."

"I'll take you there. I can't wait for you to meet my friends."

"Good luck, Lawrence," said Ms. Tingley. "And, welcome to Lakewood Elementary, and to Elwood City."

"Thank you."

The boys head to Mr. Ratburn's classroom. Once they enter the room, Mr. Ratburn pulls Lawrence to the side, and Arthur sits at his table with his friends.

"Hey, Arthur, who is that?" asked Buster, who was whispering.

"He's a new kid that lives next door to me."

"He lives next door to you?" asked Francine, who was also whispering.

"Yeah. His name's Lawrence. He's a pretty cool guy."

"May I have your attention, class?" asked Mr. Ratburn rather loudly. Everyone became quiet, and turned their attention to Lawrence and Mr. Ratburn in the front of the classroom. "Everyone, say hello to our new student, Lawrence Millstone."

"Hello, Lawrence."

"Hello, everybody," he replied meekly.

"Now, Lawrence, my name is Mr. Ratburn, and I'm your teacher. Welcome to our school, and to our town. Now, pick a table to sit at, say hello to your new classmates, and we'll begin our class."

"Yes, sir."

Lawrence goes over to the table that consists of Arthur, Buster, Francine, Muffy, and George. He sits down in the empty chair next to Arthur.

"Hi. I'm Lawrence, and I'm your new classmate."

"Hey, Lawrence. I'm Francine. Francine Frensky. Nice to meet ya."

Lawrence shakes hands with Francine. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Buster Baxter."

"My name's Muffy Crosswire."

"And, I'm George Lundgren."

"It's nice to meet you all."

"Alright, Children," said Mr. Ratburn. "Let's start our class."

An hour in-a-half after class; it was lunchtime for Arthur and his friends. Lawrence was next in line for his lunch.

"Well, hello. You must be Lawrence? I'm Mrs. MacGrady, the lunch lady. Welcome to Lakewood Elementary."

She puts a bowl of spaghetti, a cup of grape juice, and a letter on his food tray.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome, dear."

He takes his food, and sits with Arthur and the others.

"So, what do you think so far?" asked Arthur.

"It's a pretty nice school, and everyone here seems friendly," said Lawrence.

Someone taps on Lawrence's shoulder, and he turns to the other table.

"Hiya! I'm Ladonna Compson. Nice to meet ya."

"Lawrence Millstone. Nice to meet you, too."

Lawrence and Ladonna shake hands with each other.

"Hi, Lawrence. I'm Sue Ellen Armstrong."

"Salutations, new friend. I am Alan Powers. Most people call me 'The Brain'."

"And, my name's Fern Walters."

"It's nice to meet you all."

He takes the letter, opens it, and starts reading it. As he's reading the letter, he has a smile on his face, until he reads who it's from, and his expression changes to shock and fear.

"Hey, Lawrence; what does the letter say?" asked Arthur.

"Oh. Umm… It says: 'Welcome to Lakewood Elementary, and to Elwood City. We hope you have an unforgettable time'."

"Who's it from?" asked Buster.

"I don't know," Lawrence half-lied.

"That's weird," said Ladonna.

"Yeah." Then; Lawrence took a closer look at Ladonna. "You were a new kid before me?"

"Yeah. I was… How did you know?"

"You have a Southern accent, which all the other kids don't have. I can also tell that you're not sure if you completely fit in with everyone else. I could tell from the tone of your voice. You were hoping to make a new friend."

Everyone was shocked by Lawrence's deduction of Ladonna. Lawrence started to feel embarrassed, thinking that he may have humiliated her in front of everyone.

"You know what? That was out of line of me. I'm sorry. That wasn't right. These guys definitely see you as a good friend. I just couldn't help myself. I got all anxious, and it's a force of habit. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," said Ladonna. "You didn't mean any harm."

"Thanks. But, can I have a minute alone?"

"Ok."

Lawrence gets up, and heads over to Mrs. MacGrady.

"Excuse me. Mrs. MacGrady? May I ask a question?"

"Why, sure you can, Lawrence."

"Do you know who left this letter?"

"No. Someone left it here before I got here."

"Oh…" He let out a long sigh.

"Is everything alright?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go back to my table."

He heads back to the others, and sees everyone talking to Arthur.

"Hey, Lawrence," said Muffy. "Arthur was telling us about when you and he first met."

"Yeah. And, that your dad's a private investigator, and how you're following in his footsteps," Fern said with admiration.

"That explains how you described me," said Ladonna.

"And, don't worry," said Francine. "We told Ladonna that she fits in with us just fine."

"Ok, then," said Lawrence.

"By the way; do you want to hang out with us after school?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Great! Now, we have soccer practice after school. Want to join the team?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not really into sports."

"Oh. Ok. Then, maybe you could watch us practice, and then we'll take you to the Sugar Bowl. It's a place we like to hang out at."

"Alright, then."

Four hours later; school was over, and the Lakewood soccer team was on the field. Lawrence arrived, and was about to sit in the bleachers until-

"Before we start, let's have an introduction. Binky, meet Lawrence Millstone," said Francine.

"The new kid in our class," said Binky. "I'm Binky Barnes. Nice to meet you, Lawrence."

"Nice to meet you, too," said Lawrence.

"Are you trying out for the team?"

"No. I'm just here to watch."

"So are we," said a rough female voice. Everyone looked over, and saw the Tough Customers walking up to them.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Binky.

"We came to see how good you are at soccer," said Slink, the guy with long hair.

"And, we heard that the new kid would be here," said Molly, the only female member of the Tough Customers. "What's your name?"

"Lawrence."

"Whoa! Guys, now isn't a good time for this," said Binky. He was worried that his fellow Tough Customers were going to do something mean to the new kid. Binky, himself, knows that he can be mean at times, but he has certain standards, and he didn't want his friends to make him look bad at soccer practice.

"What's going on?" asked Lawrence.

"Those guys are the Tough Customers," said George, who was whispering in his ear. "They're a group of bullies who always like to pick on others. Binky is their leader, but he's usually pretty nice."

"Ok. So, what were you guys going to do to me?" Lawrence asked the Tough Customers.

"Hey! Hey! Why don't sit in the bleachers, and watch us practice?" said Binky, trying to prevent something bad from happening.

The Tough Customers sat in the bleachers on the left, and Lawrence sat in the bleachers on the right.

The team began practicing, and the Tough Customers were watching them, mostly Binky, with admiration.

Lawrence, however, had his mind elsewhere. He pulled the letter he got at lunch out of his bag, and re-read it. It says: _"Welcome to Lakewood Elementary, and to Elwood City. We hope you have an unforgettable time here.- X.O."_

Lawrence has a flashback to his old home back in Crown City. His family, his mother included, and gasp in shock, finding it completely trashed. There are broken picture frames, broken vases, broken plants, ripped up pillows, ripped up couch cushions, ripped up books, ripped up files, and the letters X and O spray-painted in red on the windows and written in soil and broken glass on the floor.

"What happened here?" asked Eden.

"I don't know," said Erick, "but I think we should call the police."

Thirty minutes later; the police arrive at the apartment, and they are asking the family questions. "So, Mr. Millstone," one of the officers began, "this X.O. person has been harassing you and your family for how long?"

"Over a month," Erick replied.

"And, they have sent you messages via letters, e-mails, texts, and many other unorthodox ways?"

"Yes."

"And, as a private investigator, you've tried to find out who X.O. is?"

"Yes."

"How many leads have you had so far?"

"Zero."

"Oh…" The police felt sorry for the Millstone family. They don't deserve to go through stuff like this. Something had to be done to help them. "Well, for a situation like this, when it has reached this level of craziness, the best solution for it is to move."

"Move?!" said Erick, who was in shock. "But, shouldn't you be investigating who X.O. is, and put them behind bars?"

"Yes. We will do everything we can to help you and your family. Another thing, Mr. Millstone; with all due respect, you should've came to us about this when you got stuck working on this case."

"I'm sorry, officer. But, I was worried you wouldn't want me to help you solve this because, you would worry that I might get emotionally involved."

There was a moment of silence for a bit. The officer Erick was talking to was writing something down on a piece of paper, and hands it to him. "This is the phone number of Leonard Andrews, one of our most prominent detectives. He will go over the evidence you found, and the messages you've gotten. You and he will talk over the phone. It won't matter where you move, you two will compare notes over the phone, and you will meet him in person eventually. We will do our best to find out who X.O. is."

"Thank you, Officer."

The police leave the apartment.

An hour in-a-half later; the Millstones had their things packed in suitcases and boxes. The mother was sitting on the couch in the living room, and she was talking on the phone.

"So, you'll be here in twelve minutes?" she asked. "… Ok. I'll see you then." She hung up the phone.

"Who were you talking to, Shannon?" asked Erick, who overheard the last few things she said from the other room. "Was that a friend, or a family member?"

"Neither… Actually, I called for a cab."

"What!? You're calling a cab? Why?"

"All that has happened to us, to our family… This X.O. situation, all this craziness… I just can't deal with this anymore. I have to go on my own."

"But, Shannon, you know I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you, honey."

"I know, Erick, but I'm worried that something bad WILL happen before you find out who X.O. is, and I don't want to take that chance. I'm sorry."

She gets up from the couch, and gives him a hug and a kiss.

"Eden! Lawrence!" she called out.

Both of them came out of their rooms.

"Kids," Erick began, "your mother has to tell you something."

"I'm going to live on my own."

"What? How long?" asked Eden.

"I don't know," said Shannon. "Until this X.O. situation is over."

"But, why?" asked Lawrence.

"Because, all of this has taken its toll on me… I'm so sorry. I can't do this anymore."

"Well, if this is what you want," said Lawrence, "then, ok. But, we're going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too."

"Be careful, Mom," said Eden. "We love you."

"I love you, too."

She goes over to her family, gives her kids, each, a hug, and gives her husband another hug and a kiss. She, then, takes her things, and leaves the apartment.

The flashback ends, and Lawrence focuses his attention on the Lakewood soccer team.

Two in-a-half hours later; Arthur, Francine, Buster, and George have taken Lawrence to the Sugar Bowl, the dessert parlor they go to after school many times.

"So, Lawrence," Francine started, "what do you think of your new school so far?"

"So far, it's pretty good," Lawrence answered. "Everyone seems really nice. And, the school is good, even though it's different from my old school."

"By the way," said Buster; "I meant to say that I can't believe you're from Crown City. I've been to Crown City one time."

"Arthur told me that one of his best friends went there."

"It's good to know that my friends are saying nice things about me to new people."

"Hey, Lawrence," Arthur intervened, "what do you think of how we played soccer?"

"Oh. I thought you guys were great. Though, I was kind of zoned out when you guys got started. Sorry."

"That's okay," said Francine. "What was on your mind?"

"Err… Homework," lied Lawrence. "You know? It's my first day, and I'm a little bit stressed out. Plus; that Mr. Ratburn can make you work like it's your last day on Earth."

"You don't know the half of it," said Buster.

Suddenly; George puts his back-pack on the table, and opens up every part of it.

"Uhh… George? What are looking for?" asked Francine.

"Wally," George answered.

"Who's Wally?" asked Lawrence.

"Oh. I didn't tell you this because, we just met. I'm into ventriloquism, and Wally is my ventriloquist dummy."

"You think that maybe you misplaced him?"

"No way! I always carry him around in my back-pack."

"Well, let's say you did misplace him. Maybe, you lost him, and maybe someone found him and took him to the school's lost-and-found… Um… The school _does_ have a lost-and-found. Right?"

"Of course it does," answered Arthur.

"Ok. I'll check the lost-and-found tomorrow," said George.

Five hours later; Lawrence was back home, and he was on his bed in his room finishing up his homework. Lawrence's bedroom has two bookshelves, a computer and PC by the window, and cork pinned on the wall across his bed. After he finished his homework, he took out the letter again, and was contemplating on what to do with it.

"I definitely can't tell Dad about this," said Lawrence. "He'd probably freak out, and think we'd have to move again. And, I don't want to put any pressure on Eden. She'd probably think the same thing… What can I do?"

 **And, there we go. That was chapter two of my first story for Arthur. Now, we get to see the real mystery of my OC Lawrence, and I know that you guys have a lot of questions. You'll just have to wait until I update this.**

 **Also; the one known as X.O., for any of you who are fans of Pretty Little Liars, I'm a fan myself, that was where I got the X.O. idea from. X.O. is inspired by A, who is the main villain of Pretty Little Liars, and went by A.D. during season 7. I kind of wanted to take that, and make it into my own thing for this story.**

 **Anyway; let me know in your reviews what you all thought of this chapter in your reviews. Thanks, you guys. Later.**


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